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White And Neglected Craigslist Dresser Turned Green Beauty

I think I've mentioned a few times before that I have a love for Craigslist. I've been very lucky to meet some amazing people who have some great stuff they need to get rid of on Craigslist. A couple of weeks ago I met a lady whose business it is to sell furniture she acquires via Craigslist. She was very kind and even delivered 2 pieces I bought from her. One of the pieces I bought was a white, antique dresser that of course needed a lot of love, but it was my kind of dresser. The style is one I'm always drawn to with the longer legs and bowed top. I don't know what it is, but I love this style of dresser. Yes, I really do have a dresser addiction.

Here it is when it was dropped off at the house. The drawers needed some work inside, but other than that it was in OK shape. The paint was peeling in places, but that was something I could deal with.

I was pretty unsure if the top would be able to be stained or not. I didn't know if the spot in the middle was water damage. The dresser had leaves and things in it so I figured it might have been stored outside at some point.

Now this is one of the things I LOOOOVEEEE about this dresser...the sides! I love the slats, also the fact that the top looks like it's two tops stacked on top of each other.

First thing I tackled was the top. If I could stain the top, that would determine what I would do with the rest of the dresser. I stripped it down then gave it a good sanding and I was pleasantly surprised that the wood looked fantastic!!

You can also see here that I had to sand the dresser down a lot more than I would have liked on the sides. Whoever painted this originally put a coat of white paint over the varnish so it didn't adhere very well.

Here's the top after I put a coat of Red Mahogany stain on the wood. I decided it wasn't dark enough and too red for what I had planned for the body of the dresser.

See?? The top is way too red!

You can see here that I decided to go with green! YES GREEN!! I don't really like green, but I do love this shade of green. I decided to go with the same color I used on my kitchen table redo. This dresser is staying with me and going in our dining room. We have a red, green and taupe Pottery Barn area rug in the dining room, so the green will look great in there.

I currently have a HUGE china cabinet in the dining room that is way, way, way too big for the space. The cabinet has drawers on the bottom that my Son keeps his arts and crafts supplies in, then the top I use for displaying things. It worked great in our old house, but not in this one. So when the cabinet leaves, I hope very soon, I will put the dresser in it's place to hold the craft supplies.

Here's the dresser with 3 coats of DIY chalk paint. The color is called Happy Camper and it's by Behr. I had the paint leftover so I decided to make the chalk paint I used for the kitchen table. I do like this recipe, but I still prefer Annie Sloan.

To get the top the color I wanted I put Jacobean on top of the Red Mahogany stained wood, then topped it with 2 coats of dark Annie Sloan wax. It turned out to be exactly the color I wanted!

On the drawers and the body, I lightly distressed on the high points and along the edges of the drawers, then topped it off with a coat of clear wax and a coat of dark wax.

Best part about this dresser was it had all the hardware. It had been replaced with some new knobs at some point, but I liked the shape and just gave them a spray of Oil Rubbed Bronze and they were perfect!

Here it is all done up and finished!!

I really like how the brass key holes show up now that the paint has been removed!!

The sides are my favorite part. I like how the dark wax gives the slats even more dimension.

Today was a perfect picture day so I had to get this dresser outside to take its picture. It was tricky trying to maneuver it on my own, but I did it! :-)

Here you can see the cute knobs and that brass keyhole!

For a girl who doesn't really like green, I do love this shade of green. I think it looks great with the dark brown stain on the top, plus the dark wax gives it a lot more depth.

As usual, I'm glad I stained the top. The wood is gorgeous and needed to be shown off.

I'm really thrilled with the transformation on this one. When the dresser was delivered I knew it would be beautiful in the end. I just didn't realize it would be green or as pretty as it is! I think Hunter will be thrilled to have this space for his arts and crafts. I know Steve and I will be happy to gain a bit of space in the dining room! Maybe it's time for a dinner party?! HA HA HA Who am I kidding??

Love this dresser re-do! The color is great & the final product is beautiful. I would love for you to link up at my party: http://www.lizmarieblog.com/2012/06/link-up-with-me-liz-marie-5/ I know my readers would love to see your work. The party goes live every thursday.

Too bad you want to keep that dresser. I too love the slatted sides and the longer slender legs, looks more antique that way cause it is. You won't find newer furniture that sturdy or well made. At some point you might want to put little casters on the legs. Oh would I love to have that dresser, the color and top are so incredibly beautiful. I have an old dresser out in yard (covered with a tarp) that is very sturdy, the top is tweaked from being stored out on our back deck in winter (when we first moved into our house) and the veneer is coming off on the bottom but I'd so love to put a new top on it, fix it up and use it for a bathroom vanity. It'll take me awhile but I'm not going anywhere and have alot of time. You've inspired me to give it a go seeing your dresser. So glad I found your blog and have subscribed and will like you on Facebook.

Beautiful!!! This was the first thumbnail I clicked on from MMS furniture party:) I'm considering redoing an old dresser that I inherited and would like to restain the top and paint the base/drawers...thank you so much for such a great post/directions/etc. Love that green!!!!

Just found your blog via Miss Mustard Seed and wanted to say how gorgeous your dresser is. (In England it would be a chest of drawers, a dresser is a completely different thing over here!) I love the green and the slats at the side really set it off and they keyholes make it look very old. Great job. I love it!

Oh my, what a GREAT piece and find! I love the color, this dresser takes my breath away! I’d love it if you’d link up to TA-DA TUESDAY <3 from your newest follower I’d be delighted if you’d follow back!~Misty413 Sparrow Lane

I'm another who found you through Brenda's blog (Cozy Little House). Your furniture makeovers are gorgeous! I especially love your green dresser with the dark top. I'll be adding your blog to my "favorites" on my side bar. Hope you come visit me and become a follower as well!

A MAZE ING! Love, love, love it! That dresser was lucky you found it ;).

I just got my first sample of Anne Sloan paint last week (I know you didn't use that for this project but it's similar)and I can't wait to re-do that dresser I mentioned a few weeks ago for $20. Great job as always.

I just love your blog. It was the dose of inspiration that I needed this morning. Miss Mustard Seed is one of my favorite bloggers. I think your work is just as good or better than hers.

Hope you don't mind me spotlighting you on my special blog that I do for my mother. http://blogsofgoodness.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-passion-for-decor.html She has cancer and can't be as creative as she once was. So, I share with her blogs that inspire me, that might inspire her as well.

Your dresser is just gorgeous! I love the wood top - a great save! What s charming piece - I would have snagged that as well. I, too, have a dresser obsession. I confess!Thanks for linking up!Stacey of Embracing Change

Wow, it turned out so beautifully. I am just in awe of that wood top that you uncovered, it's just incredible! I love the paint color and the way the slats on the sides show up so well after waxing ... job well done!!

This is so nice, I've always have loved oak furniture, the grain of the wood is just amazing when stained and with the way the top ia stained really make the green just pop. Wish I had this piece , just love it. If you ever decide you want to part with it let me know Ha, please ! I could make room somewhere ? for it! That a great piece, just love it! You did a great job!

I have this exact same dresser! :o It belonged to my great-grandmother & I've been having the hardest time deciding what to do with it. Now I have a glimmering of an idea, thank you! The inside of the drawers are messed up on mine as well. How did you fix them?

Have a ? Have a dresser w mirror I want to.do this same effect on. Going to leave the wood around the mirror + top closed however, im.confused about this chalk paint? Never used it. I just sand my wood down + coat it? Then also with the wax paint, do you paint that on + cover the entire chalk paint? Pls help. Laurienicole2@gmail.com

Have a ? Have a dresser w mirror I want to.do this same effect on. Going to leave the wood around the mirror + top closed however, im.confused about this chalk paint? Never used it. I just sand my wood down + coat it? Then also with the wax paint, do you paint that on + cover the entire chalk paint? Pls help. Laurienicole2@gmail.com

You did a great job on this, and I love the green. I find I paint a lot with green. I do funky painted furniture and know what you went through to redo this. Great job. I have a dresser probably just like this in my garage and I think I need to get it out and work on it!

Determine what you are going to store in the dresser. In most cases, dressers are used for clothes, but some dressers have jewelry drawers and compartments for shoes, as well. Figuring out what you want to store in the dresser can help you decide which style to choose.

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Love this . . . in fact, I just went out and bought some Happy Camper sample today. What kind of dark wax did you use? I've just started refinishing furniture and am unfamiliar with this technique. thanks

I just came across this dresser on Pinterest and unlike you I LOVE green. Thanks for posting the actual make and color of the paint you used... so many people don't and its so frustrating trying to duplicate a certain look.

Hi Melody, i am a new blogger and in my latest post, 10 ways to make your rental your own, i want to link to this project as an example of a project for painting furniture. would it be ok if i liked to your page?

like i said i am a new blogger and just have a few posts out there so far, but am working hard to grow my blog. here is my site, www.curlygirlcreativelife.com

Melody! Your new follower wants to say: Wow, amazing work! I'm not a fan of anything green but this is gorgeous redo. Simply a beauty! You must feel so proud! I stumbled upon this post in Pinterest (I just started following you there too!!!). I have my grandmother's old dresser from the 1940s (we call it the BEAST because it is a back-breaker to move) and I want to redo it myself in the winter months. I'm in FL and I need to wait for weather to change in order to start this project. I have never attempted to redo anything like furniture before. I wanted to do this all myself mainly for sentimental purposes, since it was one of my grandmother's favorite pieces of furniture. Thank you for sharing all your secrets with us. I'll be coming back for more info as soon as I begin the project. I really did not know where to start and your inspiration has helped me get some ideas!

I'm a stay at home Mom and married to the best Husband around. I blog about my addiction to anything vintage and incorporating these vintage items into my home. I take the old and give it a new lease on life. What some might consider a piece of furniture ready for the trash heap, I see an ugly duckling that can be transformed into a beautiful swan. I'm a lover of estate sales, yard sales, thrift stores and flea markets. I have a deep love of globes and maps, which is apparent when you walk into my home! I hope you'll come along with me on this vintage inspired journey.